The wings of an aircraft are flexible. Bending and twisting of the wings during flight can, in turn, create unwanted additional drag to the aircraft, particularly, during a cruise portion of the flight. Additional drag to the aircraft results in an increase in fuel consumption which results in higher operational costs.
Cameras and markers on the wings have been employed to observe a particular configuration of the wings of a test or experimental aircraft during flight operation or during flight simulation. However, utilizing a camera during flight operations will not be at times practical or useful. Optical detection can be impaired, for example, at altitudes where adverse weather conditions may occur. Also, poor or diminished light conditions can also impair the camera optical detection performance with respect to observing the configuration of the wings during flight.
There is a need to provide a system and method by which detects wing deflection and twist during flight and takes corrective measures.